Methods, systems, and media for facilitating user interactions while watching media content

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and media for facilitating user interactions while watching media content are provided. In accordance with some embodiments, the method comprises: associating a first user device with a second user device, wherein the first user device and the second user device are associated with a first user; causing, on the first user device, a media content item to be presented; receiving an indication that the media content item is being presented on a third user device associated with a second user; causing, on the first user device, a selectable indication that the media content item is being presented on the third user device to be presented; and in response to determining that the selectable indication has been selected on the first user device, causing a communication interface for exchanging messages between the second user device and the third user device to be presented on the second user device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/811,399, filed Jul. 28, 2015, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed subject matter relates to methods, systems, and media forfacilitating user interactions while watching media content.

BACKGROUND

People often watch media content items and may be interested indiscussing media content that they are currently viewing with friendswho are also viewing the same media content. For example, a person whois currently viewing a television program associated with an event(e.g., a political debate, a game, an awards ceremony, etc.) may beinterested in discussing the event with a friend who happens to beviewing the same television program at the same time. However, it can bedifficult to determine what media content a friend has viewed recentlyor is currently viewing.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods, systems, and media forfacilitating user interactions while watching media content.

SUMMARY

Methods, systems, and media for facilitating user interactions whilewatching media content are provided.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, amethod for facilitating user interactions while watching media contentis provided, the method comprising: associating a first user device witha second user device, wherein the first user device and the second userdevice are associated with a first user; causing, on the first userdevice, a media content item to be presented; receiving an indicationthat the media content item is being presented on a third user deviceassociated with a second user, wherein the second user is connected tothe first user; causing, on the first user device, a selectableindication that the media content item is being presented on the thirduser device to be presented; and in response to determining that theselectable indication has been selected on the first user device,causing a communication interface for exchanging messages between thesecond user device and the third user device to be presented on thesecond user device.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, asystem for facilitating user interactions while watching media contentis provided, the system comprising: a hardware processor that isprogrammed to: associate a first user device with a second user device,wherein the first user device and the second user device are associatedwith a first user; cause, on the first user device, a media content itemto be presented; receive an indication that the media content item isbeing presented on a third user device associated with a second user,wherein the second user is connected to the first user; cause, on thefirst user device, a selectable indication that the media content itemis being presented on the third user device to be presented; and inresponse to determining that the selectable indication has been selectedon the first user device, cause a communication interface for exchangingmessages between the second user device and the third user device to bepresented on the second user device.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, anon-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executableinstructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperform a method for facilitating user interactions while watching mediacontent, is provided. The method comprises: associating a first userdevice with a second user device, wherein the first user device and thesecond user device are associated with a first user; causing, on thefirst user device, a media content item to be presented; receiving anindication that the media content item is being presented on a thirduser device associated with a second user, wherein the second user isconnected to the first user; causing, on the first user device, aselectable indication that the media content item is being presented onthe third user device to be presented; and in response to determiningthat the selectable indication has been selected on the first userdevice, causing a communication interface for exchanging messagesbetween the second user device and the third user device to be presentedon the second user device.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, asystem for facilitating user interactions while watching media contentis provided, the system comprising: means for associating a first userdevice with a second user device, wherein the first user device and thesecond user device are associated with a first user; means for causing,on the first user device, a media content item to be presented; meansfor receiving an indication that the media content item is beingpresented on a third user device associated with a second user, whereinthe second user is connected to the first user; means for causing, onthe first user device, a selectable indication that the media contentitem is being presented on the third user device to be presented; and inresponse to determining that the selectable indication has been selectedon the first user device, means for causing a communication interfacefor exchanging messages between the second user device and the thirduser device to be presented on the second user device.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises means for causingcontents of the communication interface to be presented on a fourth userdevice associated with a third user.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises means for receivingindications of sentimental information associated with a particularmessage presented in the communication interface, wherein thesentimental information is used for ranking the particular message.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises: means for aggregatingindications of sentimental information associated with the particularmessage presented in the communication interface; and means forpresenting an aggregated feed of messages including the particularmessage based on the aggregated indications of sentimental information.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises means for aggregatingindications of sentimental information associated with a user who sentthe particular message presented in the communication interface.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises: means for determiningthat presentation of the media content item has finished; and inresponse to determining that presentation of the media content item hasfinished, means for causing the communication interface to be closed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed subjectmatter can be more fully appreciated with reference to the followingdetailed description of the disclosed subject matter when considered inconnection with the following drawings, in which like reference numeralsidentify like elements.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a user interface for presenting a mediacontent item and recommendations for other media content in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

FIGS. 2A-2D show examples of user interfaces for presenting anindication that a second user is viewing the same media content item asa first user, and for creating a communication interface fortransmitting messages between the first and second user in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a process for determining that a second useris viewing the same media content item as a first user and creating acommunication interface for transmitting messages between the first andsecond user in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subjectmatter.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a user interface for presenting indicationsof media content items that users connected to a first user have viewedand/or are viewing in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosedsubject matter.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show examples of user interfaces for receiving arecommendation of a media content item and inserting the recommendedmedia content item in a queue of media content items in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a process for receiving a recommendation of amedia content item and inserting the recommended media content item in aqueue of media content items in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of an illustrative system suitable forimplementation of mechanisms described herein for facilitating userinteractions while watching media content in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 8 shows a detailed example of hardware that can be used in a serverand/or a user device of FIG. 7 in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosed subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with various embodiments, mechanisms (which can includemethods, systems, and media) for facilitating user interactions whilewatching media content are provided.

In some embodiments, the mechanisms can cause a media content item to bepresented on a first user device associated with a first user. Themechanisms can then determine that a second user device associated witha second user is currently presenting the same media content item. Insome embodiments, the mechanisms can then present, on the first userdevice, an indication that the second user device is presenting the samemedia content item.

In some embodiments, the mechanisms can cause a communication interfacebetween the first user device and the second user device to beinitiated, for example, in response to determining that an input toinitiate a chat between the two devices has been selected. Additionallyor alternatively, the communication interface can be initiated betweenthe second user device and a third user device associated with the firstuser device (e.g., in instances where the first user device and thethird user device have been paired). The communication interface canthen be used to transmit messages in a chat (e.g., text, images, and/orany other suitable message content), video data, and/or audio databetween the two devices.

In some embodiments, messages transmitted via the communicationinterface can be semi-private and/or public, that is, they can be viewedby users not participating in the chat. For example, in someembodiments, the messages can be viewed by users who are connected toone or all of the users participating in the chat. As another example,in some embodiments, the messages can be viewed by the general public.In instances where the messages are semi-private and/or public, userscan provide sentimental information (e.g., a thumbs up, a thumbs down,an upvote, a downvote, a like, a dislike, and/or any other suitablesentimental information) regarding a particular message. In someembodiments, an indication of sentimental information can be treated asa vote (e.g., in favor of or against the particular message), which cancause the message to increase or decrease in ranking. In some suchembodiments, aggregate vote counts associated with the messages can beused to compile an aggregated feed of comments associated with the mediacontent item, and/or for any other suitable purpose.

In some embodiments, the mechanisms described herein can be used torecommend other media content items to the first user. For example, insome embodiments, the mechanisms can identify media content itemscurrently being viewed and/or previously viewed by users connected(e.g., in a social networking service) to the first user and canrecommend the identified media content items. As another example, insome embodiments, the mechanisms described herein can receive anindication that a second user has shared a particular media content itemwith the first user, and can present, on the first user device,information related to the shared media content item, such as anidentifier of the second user, a message sent by the second user, anidentifier of the shared media content item, and/or any other suitableinformation. In some such embodiments, the first user can then insertthe shared media content item into a queue of media content itemscreated by the first user.

Turning to FIG. 1, an example 100 of a user interface for presenting amedia content item and suggestions of other media content items is shownin accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. Asillustrated, user interface 100 can include a presentation of a mediacontent item 102, a queue of media content items 104, and a group ofrecommendations 108.

Presentation 102 can include any suitable presentation of a mediacontent item on a user device. For example, presentation 102 can be apresentation of a video, a movie, a television program, an audiobook,and/or any other suitable type of media content item. In someembodiments, presentation 102 can include a video player window in whichthe media content item is presented. In some embodiments, presentation102 can additionally include any suitable controls, such as controls toadjust a volume of presentation 102, fast-forward and/or rewindpresentation 102, pause presentation 102, and/or any other suitablecontrols.

Queue 104 can include any suitable indications of media content a userdevice is currently presenting and/or media content that has beenselected for future presentation. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, queue104 can include an indication of current content 110, an indication ofsecond content 112, and an indication of third content 114. In someembodiments, indication of current content 110 can identify mediacontent associated with presentation 102, and indication of secondcontent 112 and indication of third content 114 can identify mediacontent that has been queued for presentation after presentation 102 hasfinished. As shown in FIG. 1, indications 110, 112, and 114 can includea title of the corresponding media content item and a time at which thecorresponding media content item is to be presented. Additionally oralternatively, in some embodiments, indications 110, 112, and 114 caninclude any other suitable content, such as a name of a creator of themedia content item, a channel on which the media content item is beingpresented, an image representing the media content item, and/or anyother suitable information. Note that, in some embodiments, any suitablenumber of indications can be presented in queue 104. In someembodiments, queue 104 can be omitted.

Group of recommendations 108 can include any suitable media contentitems that are recommended for a user viewing presentation 102. As shownin FIG. 1, an individual recommendation within group of recommendations108 can include any suitable content. For example, the individualrecommendation can include a title associated with the media contentand/or an image associated with the media content. In some embodiments,any other suitable content can be included, such as a name of a channelassociated with the media content, a name of a creator of the mediacontent, a number of times the media content has been viewed, and/or anyother suitable information. Note that, although only threerecommendations are shown in group of recommendations 108, in someembodiments, any suitable number (e.g., zero, two, five, ten, and/or anyother suitable number) can be included.

Individual recommendations in group of recommendations 108 can beidentified based on any suitable criteria. For example, in someembodiments, individual recommendations can be determined by identifyingmedia content that is popular (e.g., has been viewed more than apredetermined number of times, has been viewed more than a predeterminednumber of times over a particular time period, has been commented onand/or shared more than a predetermined number of times, and/or anyother suitable popularity metric). As another example, in someembodiments, individual recommendations can be determined by identifyingmedia content that has been viewed by users who are connected to a userviewing presentation 102 (e.g., users who are connected on a socialnetworking service, users who have previously commented on contentshared by the user viewing presentation 102, and/or any other suitabletype of connection), as shown in and described below in connection withFIG. 4. In some embodiments, criteria by which recommendations aredetermined can be selected using a recommendations criteria input 106 asshown in FIG. 1. Recommendations criteria input 106 can includeindications of different criteria by which recommendations can beselected (e.g., “Friends,” “Popular,” and/or any other suitablecriteria). In some embodiments, selection of a particular indication cancause recommendations that are identified using the correspondingcriteria to be presented in group of recommendations 108.

In some embodiments, an indication that a second user connected to afirst user viewing presentation 102 is also viewing the same content canbe presented, as shown in user interfaces 200 and 230 of FIGS. 2A and2B. As illustrated, user interface 200 can include indicators 202 and204 as well as a selectable input to initiate a conversation 206.

Indicators 202 and 204 can include any suitable indications that thesecond user is viewing the same content (e.g., presentation 102) as thefirst user. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, indicators 202 and 204 caninclude a name of the second user, an image associated with the seconduser, and/or any other suitable information. Note that, although twoindicators are shown in FIG. 2A, in some embodiments, any suitablenumber (e.g., zero, one, two, three, and/or any other suitable number)can be included.

Selectable input 206 can be any suitable user interface element forinitiating a communication interface to transmit messages between afirst user device presenting user interface 200 and a second user deviceassociated with the second user. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A,selectable input 206 can include a push button. Note that, in someembodiments, selectable input 206 can be omitted, and the communicationinterface can be initiated based on any other suitable input. Forexample, in some embodiments, selection of indicators 202 and/or 204 ora portion of indicators 202 and/or 204 can cause the communicationinterface to be initiated.

In some embodiments, an indicator 232 representing the second user canbe presented in a small portion of the user interface in whichpresentation 102 is being presented, as shown in FIG. 2B. For example,indicator 232 can be presented in a corner of user interface 230. Insome embodiments, if multiple users who are connected to the userviewing presentation 102 are also watching the same content, indicator232 can include information about any suitable subset of the connectedusers. For example, in some embodiments, indicator 232 can includeinformation about the subset of the connected users who have mostrecently interacted with the user viewing presentation 102, the subsetof the connected users who have had the most interactions with the userviewing presentation 102, and/or any other suitable subset. In someembodiments, the subset of users included in indicator 232 can includeany suitable number (e.g., one, two, five, ten, and/or any othersuitable number) of users. In some embodiments, indicator 232 can beomitted.

As described above in connection with FIG. 2A, in some embodiments, acommunication interface for transmitting messages between two or moreusers who are viewing the same media content item can be initiated. FIG.2C shows an example 260 of a user interface for presenting thecommunication interface. As illustrated, user interface 260 can includea title 262, a communication interface 264, and selectable inputs 276and 278. Note that, although the communication interface is shown inFIG. 2C as being presented on the first user device, in someembodiments, the communication interface can be presented on a thirduser device associated with and/or paired with the first user device.

Title 262 can include any suitable indication of the content of userinterface 260. In some embodiments, title 262 can include any suitabletext, images, icons, graphics, animations, videos, hyperlinks, and/orany other suitable content. Note that the location of title 262 is shownas an example, and in some embodiments, title 262 can be at any suitableposition in user interface 260. In some embodiments, title 262 can beomitted.

Communication interface 264 can be any suitable interface fortransmitting messages between the two or more users. For example, asshown in FIG. 2C, in some embodiments, communication interface 264 caninclude a chat window for transmitting text and/or comments between theusers. In some such embodiments, communication interface 264 can includeindividual comments, such as individual comment 266. In someembodiments, individual comments can be displayed within communicationinterface 264 as they are received. Note that, although communicationinterface 264 is shown as displaying text-based comments, in someembodiments, communication interface 264 can include an audio connectionbetween participants, a video connection between participants, and/orany other suitable type of communication. In some embodiments,selectable input 276 can be used to change and/or modify a type ofcommunication associated with communication interface 264, for example,by initiating a video connection between participants. Additionally, insome embodiments, selectable input 278 can be used to end a currentconnection between participants of communication interface 264.

As shown in FIG. 2C, individual comment 266 can include a user indicator268, comment text 270, and selectable voting inputs 272 and 274. Userindicator 268 can include any suitable identifying informationassociated with a user who entered individual comment 266. For example,as shown in FIG. 2C, user indicator 268 can include a user icon (e.g., aprofile picture, an image, and/or any other suitable type of user icon),a name of the user, and/or any other suitable information.

In some embodiments, comment text 270 can include any suitable content,such as text, images, icons, graphics, animations, videos, hyperlinks,and/or any other suitable content. In some embodiments, comment text 270can additionally indicate any suitable information associated with thecomment, such as a day and/or time of transmission, and/or any othersuitable information.

In some embodiments, contents of communication interface 266 can beprivate, semi-private, and/or public. For example, in some embodiments,the contents of communication interface 266 can be private and visibleto only participants in communication interface 266. As another example,in some embodiments, the contents of communication interface 266 can bepublic, and can be visible to any suitable group of users (e.g., allusers with accounts on a social networking service associated withcommunication interface 266, anyone with knowledge of a link associatedwith communication interface 266, and/or any other suitable group ofusers). As yet another example, in some embodiments, the contents ofcommunication interface 266 can be semi-private. As a more particularexample, in some embodiments, participants in communication interface266 can indicate identities of users (e.g., by username, by emailaddress, and/or in any other suitable manner) and/or groups of users(e.g., a group that consists of users that are connected to one of theparticipants in communication interface 266, a group that consists ofusers that are connected to all of the participants in communicationinterface 266, and/or any other suitable group of users) that areallowed access to the contents of communication interface 266.

In some embodiments, in instances where the contents of communicationinterface 266 are accessible to users other than the participants ofcommunication interface 266 (e.g., when the contents are semi-privateand/or public), users can provide sentimental information (e.g., upvote,downvote, thumbs up, thumbs down, like, dislike, and/or provide anyother suitable sentimental information) corresponding to individualcomments within communication interface 266, for example, usingselectable inputs 272 and/or 274, respectively. In some embodiments,selection of input 272 and/or 274 can cause a running tally of votesassociated with comment 266 to be updated, as described below inconnection with FIG. 3. For example, in some such embodiments, selectionof input 272 can cause the running tally of votes to be incremented byone, and selection of input 274 can cause the running tally of votes tobe decremented by one. In some embodiments, the running tally of votescan be stored in any suitable location, such as on a server associatedwith communication interface 264.

In some embodiments, in instances where comments in communicationinterface 264 can be associated with sentimental information (e.g.,upvotes, downvotes, thumbs up, thumbs down, likes, dislikes, and/or anyother suitable sentimental information) received from users, thecomments can be available for presentation within an aggregated feed ofcomments related to the media content item, as shown in user interface280 of FIG. 2D. For example, as shown in FIG. 2D, comments with the mostvotes (e.g., as shown by a vote total 282 in FIG. 2D) can be presentedin the aggregated feed. In some embodiments, the comments can bepresented in any suitable order, for example, with comments associatedwith a higher ranking (e.g., based on received sentimental information)and/or more votes presented above (or in any other suitable position)comments with a lower ranking and/or fewer votes. Note that, in someembodiments, comments can be presented in the aggregated feed based onany suitable criteria other than the number of associated votes. Forexample, in some embodiments, a predetermined percentage (e.g., 10%,20%, and/or any other suitable percentage) of comments in the aggregatedfeed can be based on criteria such as how recently the comment wasentered, a number of votes associated with other comments entered by thesame user, and/or any other suitable criteria.

Additionally, note that, in some embodiments, the ranking of commentsand/or votes associated with particular comments can be used for anysuitable purpose, for example, as a source for real-time questionsand/or commentary in connection to a news event, such as a televiseddebate, and/or for any other suitable purpose. As a more particularexample, in some embodiments, rankings and/or votes associated withcomments can be used as a polling mechanism, for example, to identifyquestions to ask in an interview and/or debate, to vote for and/oragainst contestants in a game, and/or for any other suitable purpose. Asanother more particular example, in some embodiments, rankings and/orvotes associated with comments can be used for fact-checking livecommentary associated with a televised interview and/or politicaldebate.

In some embodiments, comments associated with more than a predeterminednumber (e.g., more than 100, more than 1000, and/or any other suitablenumber) of votes and/or a higher ranking can be presented to users notparticipating in the chat who are also viewing the same media contentitem. For example, in some embodiments, the comments can be overlaid ona presentation of the media content item (e.g., in a banner at the topand/or bottom of a screen, and/or at any other suitable location).Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, users who enteredcomments associated with a higher ranking and/or more than apredetermined number of votes can be invited (e.g., by a networkprovider associated with the media content item) to participate in agroup chat.

Note that, in some embodiments, sentimental information (e.g., upvotes,downvotes, a thumbs up, a thumbs down, likes, dislikes, and/or any othersentimental information) can be received corresponding to an entire chatand/or communication interface. In some embodiments, the receivedsentimental information can be used to rank the entire chat and/orcommunication interface. In some such embodiments, participants inparticular chats (e.g., in chats that have received more than apredetermined number of votes, in chats identified based on any othersuitable criteria) can be invited to participate in a different publicchat. As a specific example, a network provider associated with themedia content item that is a topic of a particular chat can request thatone or more participants in a chat with a relatively high ranking and/ormore than a predetermined number of votes participate in and/or join adifferent group chat.

FIG. 3 shows an example 300 of a process for initiating a communicationinterface between participants watching the same media content inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

Process 300 can begin by presenting a media content item on a first userdevice associated with a first user at 302. The media content item canbe presented in any suitable manner. For example, in some embodiments,process 300 can begin presenting the media content item in a mediaplayer window in response to receiving a selection of the media contentitem from the first user device. In some embodiments, process 300 cancause the media content item to be streamed to the first user devicefrom any suitable location, such as a content server, as shown in anddescribed below in connection with FIG. 7.

Process 300 can determine that a second user device associated with asecond user is presenting the media content item at 304. In someembodiments, the second user can be one who is connected to the firstuser via a social networking service. For example, in some embodiments,the first user and the second user can be directly connected (e.g.,listed as friends on a social networking service, have directly sharedcontent with each other in the past, and/or any other suitable type ofdirect connection) via the social networking service. Process 300 canuse any suitable technique or combination of techniques to determinethat the second user device is presenting the media content item. Forexample, in some embodiments, process 300 can identify media contentitems currently being viewed by connections of the first user todetermine if any connected users are currently viewing the same mediacontent item as the first user. In some such embodiments, identifiers ofmedia content items that are currently being viewed can be stored in anysuitable manner, such as in a database on a content server and/or in adata server, as shown in and described below in connection with FIG. 7.

Process 300 can present, on the first user device, an indication thatthe second user device is presenting the same media content item at 306,as shown in and described above in connection with FIGS. 2A and 2B. Insome embodiments, the indication can include any suitable information,such as a name of a user associated with the second user device, animage associated with the second user device, and/or any other suitableinformation. In some embodiments, the indication can additionallyinclude a selectable input to initiate a chat (e.g., an instantmessaging chat, a video call, an audio call, and/or any other suitabletype of chat) between the first user device and the second user device,as shown in and described above in connection with FIG. 2A.

Process 300 can present a communication interface for transmittingmessages between the first user device and the second user device at308. In some embodiments, process 300 can present the communicationinterface in response to determining that the selectable input toinitiate a chat (as described above in connection with block 306 and asshown in and described above in connection with FIG. 1A) has beenselected. The communication interface can be presented in any suitablemanner. For example, as shown in FIG. 2C, the communication interfacecan present text and/or images transmitted between the first user deviceand the second user device. As another example, the communicationinterface can present video associated with a video call between thefirst user device and the second user device. Note that, in someembodiments, the communication interface can be closed in response todetermining that presentation of the media content item has finished.

Note that, in some embodiments, the communication interface can bepresented on a third user device associated with the first user deviceand can transmit messages between the second user device and the thirduser device. As a specific example, if the first user device presentingthe media content item is a television, process 300 can cause thecommunication interface to be presented on a third user device, such asa tablet computer or a mobile phone. In some embodiments, the third userdevice can be associated and/or paired with the first user device usingany suitable technique(s) (e.g., any suitable device discoveryprotocol(s), and/or any other suitable technique(s)) at any suitabletime (e.g., prior to media content first being presented, duringpresentation of the media content, after presentation of an indicationthat the second user device is presenting the same media content, and/orat any other suitable time).

As described above in connection with FIGS. 2C and 2D, in someembodiments, contents of the communication interface can be semi-privateor public. In some such embodiments, users who can view the comments(e.g., including users not participating in the chat) can providesentimental information (e.g., upvotes, downvotes, thumbs up, thumbsdown, likes, dislikes, and/or any other sentimental information)corresponding to particular comments within the communication interface,and the sentimental information can be used for increasing or decreasingthe ranking of the comments. In such embodiments, process 300 canaggregate votes associated with the transmitted messages at 310. Forexample, process 300 can receive an indication that a particular commentwas upvoted and/or downvoted, and process 300 can increment and/ordecrement, respectively, an aggregated number of votes associated withthe comment. In some embodiments, the aggregated number of votes can bestored in any suitable location, such as on a data server, as shown inand described below in connection with FIG. 7.

Note that, as described above in connection with FIG. 2D, the aggregatednumber of votes can be used for any suitable purpose. For example, asshown in and described above in connection with FIG. 2D, the aggregatedvotes can be used to compile an aggregated feed of comments related tothe media content item being presented. As a more particular example,comments with a relatively high number of votes can be presented in theaggregated feed. As another example, in some embodiments, comments canbe selected based on the aggregated number of votes to be used as livecommentary and/or live questions in connection with a news event such asa debate. As yet another example, in some embodiments, users associatedwith comments with relatively high numbers of votes can be invited toparticipate in a different, public chat.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, a group ofrecommendations of additional media content can be presented based onany suitable criteria, such as popularity of media content items, mediacontent items that other users are viewing, and/or any other suitablecriteria. FIG. 4 shows an example 400 of a user interface forpresenting, to a first user, media content recommendations based on themedia content that users connected to the first user (e.g., via a socialnetworking service) are viewing and/or have previously viewed. Asillustrated, user interface 400 can include group of recommendations402.

Group of recommendations 402 can include any suitable indications ofmedia content that users connected to the first user have viewed and/orare viewing. Note that, although media content viewed by three differentusers is shown in group of recommendations 402, in some embodiments,media content viewed by any suitable number (e.g., one, two, five, ten,and/or any other suitable number) of users can be presented.

An individual recommendation within group of recommendations 402 caninclude any suitable information. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, anindividual recommendation can indicate a name of the user associatedwith the recommendation. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 4, theindividual recommendation can include an indication 404 of currentlyviewed media content and an indication 406 of previous viewed mediacontent. Indications 404 and 406 can each include any suitableinformation, such as a name associated with the media content (e.g., atitle of the media content, a creator of the media content, a name of achannel on which the media content was presented, and/or any othersuitable names) and/or an image associated with the media content.Additionally, indication 406 can indicate a time when the previouslyviewed media content was viewed (e.g., an hour ago, a week ago, a monthago, and/or any other suitable time). In some embodiments, selection ofindications 404 and/or 406 can cause the corresponding media contentitem to begin playing and/or to be inserted into queue 104.

Note that, in some embodiments, an individual recommendation withingroup of recommendations 402 can be included based on any suitablecriteria. For example, in some embodiments, an individual recommendationcan be included due to the user associated with the recommendationindicating that their media content choices are to be shared with theuser viewing user interface 400. As a more particular example, in somesuch embodiments, the user associated with the individual recommendationcan indicate (e.g., via a user preferences interface) one or more userswith whom their media content choices are to be shared. In some suchembodiments, confirmation and/or consent from the one or more usersviewing the content recommendations may be requested beforerecommendations are presented.

In some embodiments, a recommendation of a media content item to a firstuser can be shared directly by a second user. FIG. 5A shows an example500 of a user interface for receiving the recommendation on a userdevice associated with the first user, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosed subject matter. As illustrated, userinterface 500 can include a recommendation indication 502.

Recommendation indication 502 can include any suitable content, such astext 504 associated with the recommendation, a selectable input 506 toinsert the content into a queue, and a selectable input 508 to remindthe user to watch the recommended content at a later time.

Text 504 can include any suitable content associated with therecommendation. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, text 504 can include aname of the user sharing the media content and a comment associated withthe recommendation. In some embodiments, any other suitable content canbe presented in connection with text 504, such as an icon associatedwith the user sharing the media content, an image representing theshared media content, and/or any other suitable content.

Selectable input 506 can be used to insert the recommended content in aqueue. For example, in instances where a user has created a queue ofcontent to watch (as shown in and described above in connection withFIG. 1A), selection of input 506 can cause the recommended content to beinserted into the queue (e.g., to be watched as soon as the currentprogram is finished, and/or at any other suitable position in thequeue). The recommended content can be inserted into the queue in anysuitable manner. For example, as shown in user interface 550 of FIG. 5B,a recommendation indication 552 can be inserted in queue 104. In someembodiments, recommendation indication 552 can include a time at whichthe recommended content is to be presented, as well as any othersuitable information, such as text 504, a name of a user associated withthe recommendation, an image associated with the recommended content,and/or any other suitable information. Note that, although therecommended content is shown in FIG. 5B as inserted into the firstposition of the queue (e.g., to be presented immediately after thecontent that is currently being presented), in some embodiments, therecommended content can be inserted into the queue at any suitableposition.

Selectable input 508 can be used to remind the user to watch therecommended content at a later time. For example, in some embodiments,selection of input 508 can cause a message (e.g., a text message, anemail, a pop-up notification, and/or any other suitable type of message)to be presented at a later time (e.g., the next day, the next week, thenext month, and/or any other suitable later time), suggesting that theuser watch the recommended content. In some embodiments, selectableinput 508 can be omitted.

Turning to FIG. 6, an example 600 of a process for inserting arecommended content item into a queue is shown in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

Process 600 can begin by presenting a media content item on a first userdevice associated with a first user at 602. The media content item canbe presented in any suitable manner. For example, in some embodiments,process 600 can begin presenting the media content item in a mediaplayer window in response to receiving a selection of the media contentitem from the first user device. In some embodiments, process 600 cancause the media content item to be streamed to the first user devicefrom any suitable location, such as a content server, as shown in anddescribed below in connection with FIG. 7.

Process 600 can receive an indication that a second user associated witha second user device has shared content with the first user at 604. Theindication can be received based on any suitable information. Forexample, in some embodiments, process 600 can receive information fromthe second user device that indicates an identifier associated with theshared content (e.g., a name of the shared content, a Uniform ResourceLocator (URL) associated with the shared content, and/or any othersuitable identifier) and an identifier of the first user and/or firstuser device (e.g., a username associated with the first user, an emailaddress associated with the first user, and/or any other suitableidentifier).

Note that, although the indication from the second user is describedabove in FIGS. 5A and 5B as a recommendation of content to view, in someembodiments, the indication can be presented as a notification ofcontent that the second user is currently and/or has recently viewed.For example, in some embodiments, the notification can be presented inresponse to determining that the second user has indicated that thesecond user wants to share an indication of currently viewed contentwith the first user. As another example, in some embodiments, thenotification can be presented in response to determining that the seconduser has specified (e.g., via a user preferences interface) that anindication of content the second user is viewing is to always bepresented to the first user. In some embodiments, confirmation by thefirst user that notifications from the second user are allowed to bepresented may be requested (e.g., via a user interface requestingconfirmation of a relationship between the first user and the seconduser, and/or in any other suitable manner) before notifications arepresented.

Process 600 can present an indication of the shared content item on thefirst user device at 606. The indication can be presented in anysuitable manner. For example, as shown in and described above inconnection with FIG. 5A, the indication can include a name and/orusername associated with the second user, an image of the second user, amessage from the second user, an image associated with the sharedcontent, and/or any other suitable content. Additionally, the indicationcan be presented at any suitable location on the first user device. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 5A, the indication can be presented within auser interface that is currently being used to present a media contentitem. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the indication can bepresented on a third user device associated and/or paired with the firstuser device.

Process 600 can add the shared content item to a queue of content itemsassociated with the first user device at 608. In some embodiments, theshared content item can be added to the queue in response to determiningthat a selectable input included in the indication has been selected, asshown in and described above in connection with FIGS. 5A and 5B. Theshared content item can be added to the queue of content items in anysuitable manner. For example, as shown in and described above inconnection with FIGS. 5A and 5B, the shared content item can be insertedinto the queue in a position such that the shared content item beginsplaying immediately after a content item that is currently beingpresented finishes. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments,the shared content item can be inserted at any other suitable positionin the queue.

Turning to FIG. 7, an example 700 of hardware for facilitating userinteractions while watching media content that can be used in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter is shown. Asillustrated, hardware 700 can include one or more servers such as acontent server 702 and a data server 704, as well as a communicationnetwork 706, and/or one or more user devices 708, such as user devices710 and 712.

In some embodiments, content server 702 can be any suitable server forstoring media content and/or delivering such media content to userdevice 708. For example, content server 702 can be a server that streamsand/or otherwise transmits media content to user device 708 viacommunication network 706. Media content provided by content server 702can be any suitable content, such as video content, audio content,electronic books, documents, images, and/or any other suitable type ofmedia content. As a more particular example, media content can includetelevision programs, movies, cartoons, sound effects, live-streamedcontent (e.g., a streaming radio show, a live concert, and/or any othersuitable type of streaming live content), and/or any other suitable typeof media content. Media content can be created and/or uploaded tocontent server 702 by any suitable entity. For example, in someembodiments the media content can include user-generated content. Asanother example, in some embodiments, the media content can includecontent created and/or uploaded by a particular group and/or channel. Insome embodiments, media content stored on content server 702 can bestored in association with an indicator of a creator and/or uploader ofthe media content. In some embodiments, content server 702 can beomitted.

In some embodiments, data server 704 can be any suitable server forstoring information related to media content viewed on particular userdevices, aggregating votes associated with particular commentsassociated with a media content item, and/or for performing any othersuitable actions. For example, in some embodiments, data server 704 canidentify a second user device associated with a second user that iscurrently presenting the same media content item being presented on afirst user device associated with a first user, as described above inconnection with FIG. 3. As another example, in some embodiments, dataserver 704 can receive an indication that a particular comment includedin a communication interface has received sentimental informationcorresponding to an increase or decrease in ranking of the comment, andcan update an aggregated vote count associated with the particularcomment based on the received indication, as described above inconnection with FIG. 3. As yet another example, in some embodiments,data server 704 can store information indicating media content itemsthat a user has previously watched, which can be used to createrecommendations of media content, as shown in and described above inconnection with FIG. 4. As still another example, in some embodiments,data server 704 can store information relating to a queue of mediacontent items that a user intends to watch, described in connection withFIGS. 1, 5A, 5B, and 6. In some embodiments, data server 704 can beomitted.

Communication network 706 can be any suitable combination of one or morewired and/or wireless networks in some embodiments. For example,communication network 706 can include any one or more of the Internet,an intranet, a wide-area network (WAN), a local-area network (LAN), awireless network, a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a frame relaynetwork, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, a virtual privatenetwork (VPN), and/or any other suitable communication network. Userdevices 708 can be connected by one or more communications links 714 tocommunication network 706 that can be linked via one or morecommunications links (e.g., communications links 716 and/or 718) tocontent server 702 and data server 704. Communications links 714, 716,and/or 718 can be any communications links suitable for communicatingdata among user devices 708 and servers 702 and/or 704 such as networklinks, dial-up links, wireless links, hard-wired links, any othersuitable communications links, or any suitable combination of suchlinks.

In some embodiments, user devices 708 can include one or more computingdevices suitable for receiving a message indicating availability of anew video, presenting the new video in a user interface that includes acommunication interface for a group conversation, and/or any othersuitable functions. For example, in some embodiments, user devices 708can be implemented as a mobile device, such as a smartphone, mobilephone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a vehicle (e.g., a car, aboat, an airplane, or any other suitable vehicle) entertainment system,a portable media player, and/or any other suitable mobile device. Asanother example, in some embodiments, user devices 708 can beimplemented as a non-mobile device such as a desktop computer, a set-topbox, a television, a streaming media player, a game console, and/or anyother suitable non-mobile device.

Although content server 702 and data server 704 are illustrated asseparate devices, the functions performed by content server 702 and dataserver 704 can be performed using any suitable number of devices in someembodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the functions performedby either of content server 702 and data server 704 can be performed ona single server. As another example, in some embodiments, multipledevices can be used to implement the functions performed by contentserver 702 and/or data server 704.

Although two user devices 710 and 712 are shown in FIG. 7, any suitablenumber of user devices, and/or any suitable types of user devices, canbe used in some embodiments.

Content server 702, data server 704, and user devices 708 can beimplemented using any suitable hardware in some embodiments. Forexample, in some embodiments, devices 702, 704, and 708 can beimplemented using any suitable general purpose computer or specialpurpose computer. For example, a server may be implemented using aspecial purpose computer. Any such general purpose computer or specialpurpose computer can include any suitable hardware. For example, asillustrated in example hardware 800 of FIG. 8, such hardware can includehardware processor 802, memory and/or storage 804, an input devicecontroller 806, an input device 808, display/audio drivers 810, displayand audio output circuitry 812, communication interface(s) 814, anantenna 816, and a bus 818.

Hardware processor 802 can include any suitable hardware processor, suchas a microprocessor, a micro-controller, digital signal processor(s),dedicated logic, and/or any other suitable circuitry for controlling thefunctioning of a general purpose computer or a special purpose computerin some embodiments. In some embodiments, hardware processor 802 can becontrolled by a server program stored in memory and/or storage 804 of aserver (e.g., such as one of servers 702 and 704). For example, theserver program can cause hardware processor 802 to aggregate votesassociated with a particular message and media content item, and/orperform any other suitable actions. In some embodiments, hardwareprocessor 802 can be controlled by a computer program stored in memoryand/or storage 804 of user device 708. For example, the computer programcan cause hardware processor 802 to present recommendations of mediacontent items to view, present an indication that a connected user isviewing the same media content item, and/or perform any other suitableactions.

Memory and/or storage 804 can be any suitable memory and/or storage forstoring programs, data, media content, and/or any other suitableinformation in some embodiments. For example, memory and/or storage 804can include random access memory, read-only memory, flash memory, harddisk storage, optical media, and/or any other suitable memory.

Input device controller 806 can be any suitable circuitry forcontrolling and receiving input from one or more input devices 808 insome embodiments. For example, input device controller 806 can becircuitry for receiving input from a touchscreen, from a keyboard, froma mouse, from one or more buttons, from a voice recognition circuit,from a microphone, from a camera, from an optical sensor, from anaccelerometer, from a temperature sensor, from a near field sensor,and/or any other type of input device.

Display/audio drivers 810 can be any suitable circuitry for controllingand driving output to one or more display/audio output devices 812 insome embodiments. For example, display/audio drivers 810 can becircuitry for driving a touchscreen, a flat-panel display, a cathode raytube display, a projector, a speaker or speakers, and/or any othersuitable display and/or presentation devices.

Communication interface(s) 814 can be any suitable circuitry forinterfacing with one or more communication networks, such as network 706as shown in FIG. 7. For example, interface(s) 814 can include networkinterface card circuitry, wireless communication circuitry, and/or anyother suitable type of communication network circuitry.

Antenna 816 can be any suitable one or more antennas for wirelesslycommunicating with a communication network (e.g., communication network706) in some embodiments. In some embodiments, antenna 816 can beomitted.

Bus 818 can be any suitable mechanism for communicating between two ormore components 802, 804, 806, 810, and 814 in some embodiments.

Any other suitable components can be included in hardware 800 inaccordance with some embodiments.

In some embodiments, at least some of the above described blocks of theprocesses of FIGS. 3 and 6 can be executed or performed in any order orsequence not limited to the order and sequence shown in and described inconnection with the figures. Also, some of the above blocks of FIGS. 3and 6 can be executed or performed substantially simultaneously whereappropriate or in parallel to reduce latency and processing times.Additionally or alternatively, some of the above described blocks of theprocesses of FIGS. 3 and 6 can be omitted.

In some embodiments, any suitable computer readable media can be usedfor storing instructions for performing the functions and/or processesherein. For example, in some embodiments, computer readable media can betransitory or non-transitory. For example, non-transitory computerreadable media can include media such as magnetic media (such as harddisks, floppy disks, and/or any other suitable magnetic media), opticalmedia (such as compact discs, digital video discs, Blu-ray discs, and/orany other suitable optical media), semiconductor media (such as flashmemory, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and/or any othersuitable semiconductor media), any suitable media that is not fleetingor devoid of any semblance of permanence during transmission, and/or anysuitable tangible media. As another example, transitory computerreadable media can include signals on networks, in wires, conductors,optical fibers, circuits, any suitable media that is fleeting and devoidof any semblance of permanence during transmission, and/or any suitableintangible media.

In situations in which the systems described herein collect personalinformation about users, or make use of personal information, the usersmay be provided with an opportunity to control whether programs orfeatures collect user information (e.g., information about a user'ssocial network, social actions or activities, profession, a user'spreferences, or a user's current location). In addition, certain datamay be treated in one or more ways before it is stored or used, so thatpersonal information is removed. For example, a user's identity may betreated so that no personal information can be determined for the user,or a user's geographic location may be generalized where locationinformation is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level),so that a particular location of a user cannot be determined. Thus, theuser may have control over how information is collected about the userand used by a content server.

Accordingly, methods, systems, and media for facilitating userinteractions while watching media content are provided.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in theforegoing illustrative embodiments, it is understood that the presentdisclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerouschanges in the details of implementation of the invention can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which islimited only by the claims that follow. Features of the disclosedembodiments can be combined and rearranged in various ways.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for facilitating user interactions whilewatching media content, comprising: associating a first user device witha second user device, wherein the first user device and the second userdevice are associated with a first user; causing, on the first userdevice, a media content item to be presented; receiving an indicationthat the media content item is being presented on a third user deviceassociated with a second user, wherein the second user is connected tothe first user; causing, on the first user device, a selectableindication that the media content item is being presented on the thirduser device to be presented; and in response to determining that theselectable indication has been selected on the first user device,causing a communication interface for exchanging messages between thesecond user device and the third user device to be presented on thesecond user device.